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How families have changed in america
The changing American family
How families have changed in america
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BOOK REVIEW
The Broken Hearth is a book that discusses; some might say debate one of the biggest charges in America, which is the structure of the American Family today. American families today are more unstructured than in the past. American family is under difficulty as never before. Although the nuclear family is the most common and yes we should go back to our roots and have an understanding of what America was intended to be. But our society is now accepting and embracing same sex marriage and one parent homes. Marriages are less central, divorce rate are high, and children being born out of wedlock and non-married couples living together today is more common. The conventional nuclear circle of relatives is being extensively challenged
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and undermined instead of being right. Many assume it would not matter whether we keep the nuclear or terminate it. William J. Bennett maintains that, to the contrary, the dissolution of the American family is the fundamental crisis of our time. (Bennett, 2001) He continues to discuss the topic at hand no matter what could or would happen regarding the nuclear family. He discusses the importance of the conventional family. Mr. Bennet is able to debate with informative and complete insight regarding single parenthood, gay marriage, and cohabitation regarding the nuclear family, the New Testament and how vital and important it may be to society. CONCRETE RESPONSE Marriage, I believe should be an intimate relationship that lasts a lifetime and grows stronger over the years.
Before getting married, certain things were told to me about having a good marriage and raising children. It states in the book, “that two loving parents are all a child needs”. (Bennett, 2001) For instant, my mother advised me that if I get married I would have to serve my husband and marriage is till death do you part, unless you witness with your own eyes infidelity. However; before I got married I already had a child, so there goes traditional family values. When I met my husband we lived together first until I got pregnant with my second child. Once I was pregnant, is where I felt my marriage was arranged because my husband said he was not leaving his child. We got married not really loving or knowing each other but tolerating one another for our child’s sake. Cohabitation is what it was as he did what he wanted to do. As mention in the book, “the family is the child’s most important model in terms of how life ought to be lived, the setting where children see vivid demonstrations of love, kindness, compassion, generosity, patience, duty and fidelity”. (Bennett, 2001) Well as time went by, my husband did not believe in the monogamy relationship because he was hurt by his first love and felt I was going to do the same. During the first 10 years of our marriage he ventured outside the marriage and had a child out of wedlock. In Hebrews 13:4 it states, “Give …show more content…
honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery”. This is when the marriage became more unstable because I asked him to leave my home and I asked for a divorce. Once he agreed, I too ventured out, before the divorce was completed and had twins out of wedlock. At that time, I felt it was ok because he did it to me however; two wrongs don’t make a right. After two years of being separated, my husband and I decided to work our difference out. Our marriage was resolved by both of us developing a new and clearer frame of mind and turning our lives over to God and allowing Him in and allowing Him to guide our family. So as you can see, Nuclear Family is not our best practice. REFLECTION: After reading the text, some things came to mind such as why women can’t women provide a stable loving environment for her children by herself?
I strongly believe children should live in a house hold with a father and a mother according God’s perfect plan. However; I don’t necessarily believe that it has to be a father and mother. I think it’s possible for a same sex couples to raise children and provide stability. Although in the book it states “We need to accept the fact that children thrive best when they are cared for by a mother and a father who are committed to each other in a stable and enduring marital relationship”, (Bennett 2001, p.68) I think children strive from parents who are committed to each other in a stable and enduring marital relationship and pushes their children beyond their potential and through encouragement. And if a man and a woman love one another, why is it so important for them to get married? I don’t believe a major factor for a man and women who loves one another to get married. Although the bible states, “a man and women should become one flesh”. Does that mean God wanted us to plan a wedding, get finically in debt just to get a marriage license or did he want us to dedicate ourselves to one another? I believe it means to share life together through joy, hope, happiness, fear, success and failure. So, do these things need a marriage license? I think
not. Application: The book influenced me to look at my marriage, the way we are raising our children and life in general. This book gave me a better understanding of a marriage and not seeing it as a security blanket. A marriage should be base around one value and should offer moral strength, sharing compassion, honesty, self-discipline and a host of other qualities. (Bennett, 2001) All these years I based my marriage on security and believing that the man should do all the work. I will attempt to use this book as a guild as well as the bible to teach in my children the importance of having a nuclear family and the importance of pleasing God by honoring His word about family, man and women. We all need to accept the fact that children thrive best when they are cared for by those who are committed to each other in a stable and enduring relationship”, (Bennett 2001, p.68)
Society considers divorce as a failure and a destruction to a family unit when in reality divorce should be considered normal considering that the majority of families are blended or single parent homes. Barbara Kingsolver, an american novelist and essayist states her thoughts about divorce, blended and broken families in her essay titled “Stone Soup.” She argues that no family is perfect and that all families have problems. She uses examples, statistics and metaphors to persuade her readers of what a true family is. She informs us based on her own life experiences: her values, changes, and choices which ended in her divorce.
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
As gender roles were enhanced, the nuclear family was birthed. This ideal family, mainly portrayed in popular culture, had a working father, homemaking mother, and children. Television shows depicting this type of household, Leave it to Beaver, and I Love Lucy, were not representative of the reality of America. Not all of Americans were white, and not all women were happy living as housewives (Boyer 101). Although most did not fit the mold
Traditional family in today’s society is rather a fantasy, a fairy tale without the happy ending. Everyone belongs to a family, but the ideology that the family is built around is the tell tale. Family structures have undeniably changed, moving away from the conventional family model. Nowadays more mothers work outside of the home, more fathers are asked to help with housework, and more women are choosing to have children solo. Today there are families that have a mom and a dad living in the same home, there are step-families, and families that have just a mother or just a father. Probably the most scrutinized could be families that consist of two moms or two dads. These are all examples of families and if all members are appropriately happy and healthy then these families are okay and should incontestably be accepted. So why is the fantasy of the traditional family model still so emphasized in our society? This expectation is degrading and misleading. Progressing with times one ought not be criticized or shunned for being true to their beliefs. It is those living falsely, living as society thinks they should that are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if there were more focus and concern for happiness and peace within ones family and fewer worries for the neighbor then there would be less dilemma.
When you think about family, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If you only thought about your parents or close relatives then you may have been caught in an “individual vs. family” paradox. Nearly every culture considers family important, but “many Americans have never even met all of their cousins” (Holmes & Holmes, 2002, p.19). We say we are family oriented, but not caring to meet all of our extended family seems to contradict that. Individual freedoms, accomplishments, and goals are all American ideals that push the idea of individualism. What's important to note is that family or even the concept of family itself doesn't appear in any of those ideals. Holmes and Holmes (2002), observed that “The family reunions of yesterday are now rare, and when they occur they are often a source of stress.” (p. 19) That quote solidifies one reason why family interaction today is : it's just too stressful, so we avoid it. Where does marriage fit into our culture of individuals? Marriage itself may be less of a family unifying event than a way for two individuals to obtain personal happiness; the climbing divorce rate alone seems to suggest the devaluation of commitment in a relationship. Likewise, the Holmes and Holmes (2002) state “marriage is in effect a continuation of courtship” (p. 19) In my opinion, I would have to agree with the authors on family and marriage, considering the above-stated facts and trends. If we, as a nation, can place the individual so far above our own relatives, are we not creating a future of selfishness?
As a societal unit, the family institution has become more individualized and is negatively impacting societies future. From the 1930’s to now the family has disintegrated into more and more of a single person unit. A family in the 1930’s was envisioned to be a male-breadwinning father, a doting-homemaker wife, and several children. Yet understand while the Great Depression was rolling the family structure did not change. The husband went out and looked for work, while the wife stayed home and kept the children out of trouble.
Up until the 1960s, no one questioned the idea that the traditional family was the cornerstone of American society and essential to its very survival. A traditional family was a man and a woman, married to each other, who had children together and reared them in a community full of other such families. A family thirty plus years ago, meant Mom, Dad, the kids, and on holidays, Grandpa, Grandma, aunts, cousins, and in-laws. In those days, a man and a woman didn't just move into an apartment and live together. Occasionally it would occur, but the practice was not common, and in small town America it almost never happened.
Family has played an intricate role in the development of the society in which we live. The diversity in which families are formed is now becoming even more diverse with the American culture, which is changing at a rapid pace. Diverse cultures coupled with social economic challenges are key contributors to the dramatic change to the family institution. With these challenges facing the family institution, this closely tightknit unit, which has been the cornerstone of American society, has diminished from a traditional standpoint. Non-kinship family networks like the one described in Karen V. Hansen’s “The Cranes, An Absorbent Safety Net,” go against the norm of the common institution of family within America.
The unit of a family is the most prominent essential for all of us. As social human beings, we seek social support in order to thrive, and that is where family comes into play. A family is where you receive love, support, encouragement, and many other social benefits. The total number of households in the United States increased from 63 million in 1970 to 113 million in 2008 (Weeks, 2012). The family has influenced multitudes of people in many ways. The traditional family in the United States consists two-married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring also know as the nuclear family. However, the term of a true family has ultimately changed over the last 50 years especially for African Americans.
Marriage is a “socially recognized and approved union between individuals, who commit to one another with the expectations of a stable and lasting intimate relationship. It begins with a ceremony known as a wedding which formally unites marriage partners. A marital relationship usually involves some kind of contract, either written or specified by tradition, which defines the partners’ rights and obligations to each other, to any children they may have, and to their relatives. In most contemporary industrialized societies, marriage is certified by the government,” (Skolnick, 2005). Marriage is also an important institution because of the impact it has on society. Marriage is the main way that reproduction of human life occurs. In some societies it is tradition for family heirlooms or things of value be passed on through marriage. Marriage also serves as a healthy way to have intimate relationships with an individual. In most places a marriage exists between two people of the opposite sex. However, the legal definition of marriage is currently being challenged by many. According to Skolnick’s article a marriage can be defined by responsibilities that a couple would share, some examples are: living together, having sexual relations, sharing money and financial responsibilities, and having a child together. The issue is that homosexual couples can do these things like heterosexual couples.
Marriage naturally creates families; it provides the conditions for a healthy environment that is beneficial to the upbringing of children. Opponents of same-sex marriage often ground their arguments on parental and religious concerns. Many argue that sa...
Family dynamics and their structure have gone through many changes in the last 100 years. The development of diverse and unique family styles was very interesting and I was surprised by the many changes over the spectrum of time. In addition, I discovered that I have been a little sheltered by my own environment. I had failed to learn about other cultures, but what I learned from this course and the way we define family was eye opening. Considering the definition of a family unit, it is easy to see how much that definition has changed. People living in the same home and celebrating the same belief system, although not related by blood, are still considered family. From single parents, to grandparents raising the grandchildren, and homosexual
... made groups of people have a very hostile attitude toward the subject matter. The traditional view of marriage is also important because it influences future generations and teaches children the meaning of the special union of a man and a woman. Many people also argue that when raising a child he or she should be raised by a father and a mother. Not both of the same sex. Although the debate of same-sex marriage may not affect some people, this is a hot topic that has changed the opinion of many people around the world. The topic of same-sex marriage is a subject that needs to be discusses by individuals who are certain of what they stand for and are capable of providing others with true and convincing arguments.
To thoroughly elaborate on the institution of family we most look at the family as it was before and how much it has changed over time. Throughout the years we are recognizing that the family is slowly being replaced by other agents of socialization. Families in the past consisted of a mother and a father and most times children. We are, as many societies a patriarchal society; men are usually the head of the households. This has always been considered the norm.